Cliché
by shadowshroom
Summary: An AU story of a typical romance. Yao faces the difficulties of being the family's breadwinner and the consequences of sex before love.


**Title: "****Cliché****'' **

**Characters: **Hongkong (Horace), S. Korea (Yong Soo), Taiwan (Mei), Japan (Kiku), China (Yao Wang), Russia, (Ivan Braginski)

**Pairing: **RussiaChina (RoChu)

**Setting: **AU (Therefore completely detached from anything historical)

**Rating: M** (My first attempt at writing graphic sex)

**A/N: **Everything about this story is just as the title suggests: typical and quite predictable. But sometimes I just wanna write cheesy stories~ OTL

_This story was finalized for Celeste Maugham. _

* * *

He had been dumped.

This was the first time he took a woman seriously and he was rejected after two months.

_/I'm just not ready for this yet Yao. / _She had said the day before. Her words were now echoing in his head, making its throbbing worse.

By 'THIS', she meant 'acting like a parent' to all of Yao's little siblings.

Yao had just landed a secretarial position a month ago at one of the firms he had applied to. Changing occupations was the norm to this single, hardworking man who was the breadwinner of a family of five; four younger siblings and himself. Not all of them were related by blood but he couldnt have loved them any more than real family.

All of his younger siblings were just students and only the eldest of them was his real brother; Yong Soo. Kiku, Mei and Horace; they were all adopted by his parents back when they were still alive and well.

It was because of this bustling family that Yao never really had time to even consider having a love-life. In fact, the opportunity was taken on a sort of whim

It happened one hectic afternoon at the supermarket when Yao was breaking up a fight between Yong Soo and Horace at the cereal aisle.

"We can only buy one large-sized box of cereal this week aru. Our budget can't afford any more" Yao had made the mistake of saying once they wheeled their cart unto the aisle. He should have known better because soon after the words had parted from his lips, Yong and Horace shot icy glares at each other and bolted for the cereal of their choice. Little Horace wanted the honey almond clusters and Yong wanted the chocolate rice puffs. Neither of them wanted to give in to each others choice as they engaged in a heated debate on the subject of almond clusters versus chocolate puffs. It was also around that point when Horace decided that stepping on Yong's foot was a great way to accentuate his point. Yao testily tried to break up the scuffle that ensued while Kiku sneakily dropped his own cereal of choice into the cart and started wheeling it away

Moments later, after much yelling and pinching of little naughty boys ears, Yao realized that the only girl in the family had gone missing.

They tried searching for her for half an hour in the vast expanse of the city's biggest supermarket slash department store before they decided to seek the help of customer service.

Another half-hour later, the little girl was reunited with her worried family by a young, kind-looking woman who found her sulking in one corner of the mens shoes section.

As a sign of gratitude, Yao invited the kind woman over to lunch the next day and that was where things began between them

She was pretty, graceful and seemed to have developed a little special something for Yao in the short span of time they had met each other.

At first she seemed to adore the children, but then later on she slowly started to show signs of irritability and impatience about the fact that they never seemed to have the time for 'just the 2 of them' anymore. Yao had to take a sibling or two along on their dates whenever he couldn't find a babysitter on time... or they would spend time at the Chinese man's house and they couldn't kiss or touch because kids were running around.

"I like you Yao. And I understand that your siblings are your priority" she offered that afternoon when they met at the coffee shop near his office, " But Im just not ready to act like a married woman so early in a relationship"

And such was the flashback that had been set on loop in his head ever since he walked out of that coffee shop.

He thought he could ignore the feeling of helplessness if he only went through with his chores and work like nothing happened, but he realized he needed to give himself even just a little time off from his own life.

He phoned Yong Soo that afternoon, saying he would be home late tonigh. Not having anyone in mind to drag along his trip down the lane of depression, he sought the universal friend of worn-out working men everywhere; liquor.

Thus, he now found himself in one of the lesser-known pubs not too far from his office.

Slumping forward unto the bar counter, Yao sighed. He had been here for awhile and he was at the stage where he was reviewing where things went wrong...

Despite being called 'cute' and 'attractive', he had never really been established as a 'lady killer' (especially since he's been looking really stressed recently), not to mention he was often teased by his effeminate looks that were only emphasized by his long hair. Plus he was usually more motherly than most women he met. (All thanks to the fact that he had to act the part when he was at home.) He didn't have the time or the money to act like a gallant boyfriend.

Maybe he was destined to be single forever.

Sniffling at the thought, he blinked and a teardrop or two slid down his face. His eyes widened in surprise at the involuntary display of un-manliness and he quickly wiped it off. "Stupid tears aru..." he mumbled and suppressed a blush as he noticed the Italian bartender looking at him sympathetically.

Feliciano the bartender doesn't see Yao around his bar very often, but when he did, it usually meant the Chinese was in a slump.

"Ve~... Yao, are you going to be okay?" he asked, "And are you gonna be able to pay the bill?" he added insensitively.

"Nnnmhh. Thank you for genuinely caring for my welfare aru..." Yao mumbled and threw him a cynical look, "And no, I won't pay. Not unless you pour me some more beer."

"Well okay..." he answered meekly.

"By the way we don't accept credit, but for you I'll make an exception! So don't worry and just drink until you feel like throwing up okay?" Feliciano smiled, not comprehending the severity of Yao's angsting at all. (Or possibly just not really caring much about it.) He gave Yao a refill before running off to the German who was calling at the other end of the bar.

His plan was to spend the money he had left in his wallet (not really much) , drink slowly to make it last for a good few hours and not to buy any food. Even in his 'little relief' from everyday routine, he couldn't afford to go over the budget. Especially since Kiku's tuition fee for the month was due next week... and there was the money needed for Mei's camping trip... and--

"AIYAHHH!!! I shouldn't be thinking about this right now aru!!!" he ruffled his hair, frustrated.

Taking another swig to block out the mental recount of his domestic and financial problems, Yao didn't notice as someone slid into the seat next to him.

"Ah, Wang, you look terrible!" came a childish voice from his right.

It made Yao jump in his seat and he almost choked on his drink when he saw who was now next to him. He had to blink a few times before he registered who that smiley face belonged to.

"Director?" He coughed, wiping at the dribble of beer that had escaped at the side of his mouth.

It was none other than his boss; the weird man from Russia, Director Ivan Braginski.

For a moment there, Yao caught himself panicking that maybe his boss was here to spy on the behavior of the company's employees after working hours and that this example of poor character would earn him negative reviews from his superiors, which would in turn, result in him getting marked as a secretary who can't be depended on and who shall therefore be replaced.

His boss was infamous in the office for being discreetly strict and having high standards. They say it comes from being raised in a rich Russian family.

After the initial wave of paranoid thoughts however, Yao told himself to relax. The guy probably just happened to be in the same pub at the same time as him or something...

"Bad day at the office, Wang-kun?" he asked in an innocent tone. It reminded Yao of how Mei asked him what the problem was when he made the mistake of letting her catch him crying before because he missed their mother... (He got off on that one by saying that the Korean soap opera the night before made him sad.)

Yao thought it was strange how Mr. Braginski would have the authoritative air of board director about him, and at the same time he also had the aura of a little boy. He hadn't met such a man so intimidating-- yet charming at the same time.

He always had a smile on his face... although there was a slight difference between his happy smile and his creepy smile so it was kind of tricky to tell the difference.

Before Yao applied for the position, he was unaware of the rumors about the 'scary director' who was known for changing secretaries frequently. His co-workers say that it's cause he's too idealistic and that little slip-ups set him off pretty bad and immediately get you on probation for violating work conduct. Others say that he has some sort of psychological problem and only two weeks into the job and they get nightmares about the creepy glare they receive from him when he's in a bad mood. Still others say he's a sadist who likes to give you more work than you can handle.

But so far... Yao was finding him okay.

He had come from a smaller company with a small staff that did a lot of work so he was used to the hectic atmosphere. And they hadn't really been talking much except for the occasional order or instructions he had to clarify or write down, but he was able to observe the Russian's way of dealing with things and other people while at the office and he admitted that he was pretty impressed at the man's professionalism.

At first he did seem quite the enigmatic character and you could never tell what he was really thinking because he always had a smile on his face whether he was angry or pleased. But after one whole month of working for him and after analyzing their interactions fairly, Yao concluded that he wasn't really the power-tripping, manipulative type that everyone was making him out to be.

He didn't seem to have too many friends since the only person he ever saw visit his office was his creepy little female cousin. She always glared at him even though he would greet her politely in the hallway. Now THAT was a creepy person if Yao ever saw one. Actually now that Yao thought about it, compared to her, Mr. Braginski looked pretty harmless.

When Yao didn't reply right away, the worried look remained on the Russian's face.

"It's the work load, da? You had to spend overtime today to get the papers done... it must have stressed you out."

Yao immediately shook his head, "N-No aru! It's not that...." he hesitated.

"Do you need a cash advance?" he pressed on, "Did a relative pass away? Do you need to take some days off work? Did your peers--"

"Alright, alright! I'll tell you...!" Yao sighed, exasperated. He was starting to feel like he having one of those conversations with Yong Soo...

"My girlfriend left me aru..."

"Ahh, that kind of problem..." Ivan nodded,

An awkward silence followed and Yao thought that he probably should have lied and made up some other reason.

It was the fault of the alcohol and the director's persistence and probably his own desperation to want to at least talk to someone...

"Did you like her a lot?" Ivan asked,

"Yeah aru..." Yao said sheepishly.

"So you were really in love with her... then that must have been tough." came the forlorn reply from his unexpected companion.

Sighing, Yao turned over the question in his head...

He really liked her yes... she was pretty and kind and she would make a great wife who could take care of the kids. He would finally have someone help in raising them and earning money-- but he never really thought about stuff like 'he had finally met THE one' and he always had that disturbing lingering feeling that something was... not right. It was really different than the way they portray it in movies and all those stories about 'finding true love' weren't applicable to his love story. In fact, he could have chased after her and begged her to reconsider but here he was: just sulking because of the realization that he was hopeless at relationships and feeling sorry for himself.

He felt more... lonely and sad for himself and the fact that his family made it harder to live the life of a normal young adult or fool around with women and his ego was hurt by the simple act of rejection. He wasn't really depressed because he had lost a woman that had 'stolen his heart' so to speak...

Somehow, that made him feel even more pathetic.

"When something really bad happens, Ivan continued, not aware of the inner monologue and realizations going on in Yao's mind, something so bad that I don't know what to do next, all I do is escape to a happy place... "

Seemingly in deep thought, the Russian's eyes looked dull for a moment before regaining it's usual twinkle. He then turned to his companion and smiled.

He knew it was meant to comfort him, but something about the term 'happy place' accompanied by that look in his superior's eyes kind of made Yao double take for a moment. It sounded like he was insinuating a unrealistic form of coping with problems-- like drugs or booze...

"It works for me." he shrugged at Yao's lack of reply. "Do you want to try it?"

For some strange reason, Yao thought this situation was very nostalgic. It reminded him of the feeling he had when someone was telling him to skip class and play hooky on the same day that an important exam was going to be given; or like someone asking him to try marijuana for the first time...

_/ Wait, wait aru... I don't even KNOW what he means yet. Why am I feeling so paranoid...? / _he sighed.

"What do you mean 'a happy place' aru?" he asked cautiously, genuinely wanting to understand.

"I escape... to something or someone who makes me happy." came his simple answer. "If only for a short while... just long enough to pick up the pieces."

He was gazing into Yao's eyes now and he looked wistful. In those lavender eyes something lurked... something beckoned.

It was like he understood his cryptic words literally but not by what they were truly trying to convey.

"Come with me and I'll show you what I mean."

Braginski offered him an outstretched hand, a sad smile, a dreamy look, confusing words delivered with an innocent voice-- and like a skilled charmer, his hypnosis worked.

Slowly, Yao reached out for the outstretched hand and felt warmth envelop his own cold fingers. The grip grew tighter as they stood and left their seats, and although he noticed that he was being led outside the pub and into a car, he just followed without even asking why; as if he was just an audience watching events transpire.

He realized it was very stupid of him to just follow like that. He could be robbed of his money and clothes and left in some alley... _/No, that doesn't make sense aru.../ _he told himself. His boss was far richer than him; unless he really was a sadist and he just enjoyed cruelty. If so then he might even be killed.

Or maybe he was looking for recruits to some underground vampire fanatic society; Yao had heard about stuff like that. Or maybe Braginski was high and wanted somebody else to inhale harmful drugs with him... he knew foreigners liked to do strange things like that.

Whatever it was, he was sure picking a wonderful time to be passive and just sit there in the passenger seat; looking straight ahead as they drove. His mind wandered to everywhere else except the empty roads in front of them.

At some point they ran out of road and stopped.

Yao was dragged by the hand out of the car, into a huge building, up into the elevator, into a posh-looking apartment of sorts--- and then he found his butt meeting with the soft, fluffy mattress of a queen-sized bed.

"Yao?" the familiar voice referred to him by his first name and it woke him up a bit. He stared up at the face of the person who addressed him with a confused expression.

"What are we doing here, director...?"

His question was barely uttered when he was engulfed in warmth and the scent of an unfamiliar liquor and-- sunflower shampoo.

"I called you Yao. So you can call me Ivan." was all he said as he held Yao in an embrace.

"Are you... drunk aru?"

"A little. So are you, da?"

Yao's brows furrowed. Ivan said the last statement as if that provided any insight into the current situation.

"So... what did you have in mind exactly when you said you would show me how to escape aru?" he asked finally. He already had clues: it required two people, a bed and dim lights... he deserved brownie points.

"Sex."

Yao closed his eyes and his head spun. _/I am not hearing this.../_

He could feel Ivan withdraw from the embrace only to return with a different form of contact. A spark jolted as he felt soft lips and hot breath against his neck.

"Stop..." he whispered, avoiding Ivan's face. "We can't do this aru."

Ivan pushed him down on the bed and started undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"Just trust me."

Just like Ivan, Yao was a man. And being a man, he knew how men's minds worked. When a guy with sex on his mind said 'trust me', it was usually a bad idea to do what he says. That was something girls always failed to realize. Even though Yao had the advantage of this knowledge however, it didn't seem to help him much in his current situation... his feeble attempts to fight against his aggressor and his own conflicting emotions continued to wane. as Ivan pulled him in for a kiss as he unfastened the last buttons on his shirt. His kisses brought the words 'pleading' and 'craving' to Yao's mind and he was starting to reciprocate. He kissed back and Ivan slid the shirt off his frame.

"Do you really want me to stop?" the taller man breathed in his ear as he bent over Yao's form lying down on the mattress.

He wasn't playing fair.

What he was doing was-- insane. He was going to sleep with another guy (his boss nonetheless) while his siblings were alone in their little apartment. All the while they thought Yao was mourning over a lost love when in reality he was rolling around with a handsome foreigner on a bed with sheets his family could never afford.

He could walk away; save his dignity, listen to his conscience and make a run for the cold shower once he arrived home or...

He could take his once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience a one-night-stand with a participant who was not only well-endowed, but also more than willing.

Without asking why and without caring, Yao pulled Ivan closer and initiated a kiss. He chose the bad decision-- he was only a guy after all and they say guys thought with their-- well you know the saying...

"Take this off..." he grumbled impatiently as he tugged on Ivan's shirt. Ivan obliged by drawing back a bit and taking off his long-sleeved sweater and tossing it to the floor. He then proceeded to unzip his pants; his half-lidded eyes wandering over to see Yao watching his motions with the same trance-like gaze.

This was all new to Yao. He had made out with girls before but he never really did the deed with any of them. Asians were more conservative than Europeans or Westerners... they usually didn't just DO it for the sake of experiencing it.

Or so he liked to believe. But wasn't what he was doing right now went against everything he was raised to believe in...?

He didnt even know why he was making out with the company director; he didnt even think it was real.

Was he intoxicated enough to use alcohol as an excuse? Did Ivan really sexually harass all his secretaries this way like the rumors said?

And why do those blue-violet eyes entrance him so much?

Speaking of which, Yao only barely noticed as Ivan slipped down and left cold, wet trails on his chest. Ivan's fingers stroked a taut nipple while his mouth worked the other.

He'd be damned if Ivan hadn't done this before...

Yao bit back moans. He was uttering noises he never really knew he was capable of making and he didn't feel like himself. The erection in his pants were becoming unbearable. His own slightly-shivering hands fumbled for the fastenings of the offending garment when he felt Ivan help him. His pants were pulled off in three strong, forceful jerks and soon his boxers which had partly slid down along with his pants were the only item left on him. Ivan slipped his hand underneath the thin fabric of the undergarment and Yao winced as he felt warm fingers closing in on his length.

He couldn't hold back the gasps that escaped his lips as the slightly-calloused fingers started rubbing against his sensitive flesh. The slow rubbing became paced strokes and Yao raised a leg to drape it over the Russians back as the strokes sped up. He could feel Ivans own length as it rose fully and bulged against his thigh. He was a bit surprised by this, since he had thought that Ivan was already fully aroused earlier on.

As much as he wanted to fear for his own safety from the impending injury he might sustain from Ivan's above average length, he was distracted as he got nearer to his release. Ivan stroked faster, kissing the inside of Yao's thighs while he pumped him.

His back arched, his eyes scrunched close and his toes curled against the silky sheets as he came. He could feel his liquid heat spasm out of him in succession and he thought of how Ivan's hands were probably coated with his cum by now.

As he tried to catch his breath, he opened his eyes slowly and he couldn't even bear to look down and meet Ivan's eyes. He tried instead to focus on the curtains as they gently swayed with the night breeze... maybe if he pretended to fall asleep Ivan would just let him...

"I wonder if this would make good lube..." Ivan interrupted his thoughts playfully as he licked some of his finger before wiping it all over Yao's abdomen.

So much for that thought.

He remembered that Ivan also still needed release. And well the bulge that brushed against his legs made him wonder why he had ever forgotten. He rubbed his leg against Ivans crotch, applying friction against the other mans member by pressing the fabric of his boxers against the sensitive skin underneath in circular motions.

Ivan let out a cute moan which proved very encouraging.

"That isn't enough, you've got to be wet enough too..." he managed to say as he propped himself up. He crawled over to where Ivan sat and positioned himself in-between the taller man's long legs. He was still wearing his pants, only it was pulled down to almost below his buttocks. Yao teased him some more by rubbing the cotton over the erection with his hands a bit before pulling it down and using his tongue. He ignored protests as he helped the throbbing length out of the black boxer briefs and licked the pre-cum at the tip. Holding his breath, Ivan had one eye barely open as Yao licked the entire circumference of his member deliberately slow, savoring its heat and texture against the rough surface of his tongue.

He was working it pretty smoothly but in reality Yao was both awed and worried about how something this big would ever fit into him without dealing a considerable amount of pain. Not trying to dwell on it too much, he opened wide and took everything into his mouth.

Ivan's occasional moans and enticing noises were very helpful as they urged Yao on. In a short while, he realized he was getting another hard-on. It was right about that moment when he felt a tug at his long hair though, motioning for him to stop.

He slipped the now fully engorged length out of his mouth and looked up at Ivan with cum on his lips.

"What?" he muttered as Ivan brought his index and middle finger to Yaos lips.

"Lick it", he said, "hurry".

Yao held Ivans hand by the wrist and brought the fingers to his mouth, licking then finally placing it in his mouth; tongue dancing as it tried to wet every centimeter of the digits.

When he thought it was enough, Ivan pulled it out and wasted no time in pressing it tentatively against Yaos entrance.

Yao closed his eyes and flinched.

"Breathe out. Relax a bit more..." Ivan coached calmly.

Yao nodded. It wasn't as simple as he made it sound but he tried and Ivan helped him by kissing around the pelvic area of his partner; soft and imploring kisses.

The first finger was slipped in, spreading and massaging his entrance. Soon the second one followed; stretching the hole wider and lubricating it with saliva and pre-cum.

He had to let out the tension in other ways so he wouldn't be too tight so he gave up on restraining his moans. He made sensual gasps and soon he felt the wet tip of Ivan's erection press against him and he bit his lip as it was pushed in.

Careful not to go too fast, Ivan struggled with the idea of just ramming his way inside. When he was halfway through, Yao made a endearing whimper that made him sound like a kid. Ivan reached out for Yao's member and stroked a bit fiercely as he pushed the rest of the way in. The actions made Yao clutch onto the sheets, biting down as he felt himself close in on Ivan.

It hurt so goddamn much the first minute; now the pain was a searing pleasure and he was going to die if Ivan didn't go on with the expected procedure. His member was abandoned as Ivan held unto both his legs and started to pump; slowly at first, but then he gained rhythm and his pounding was starting to make Yao want to scream louder. He felt so full whenever Ivan thrust inward, then the friction was accentuated as he pulled out just enough for the head to almost come out before he plunged back in. Electric pulses made Yao twitch whenever a place inside him was touched and he was so hot that he could feel his cheeks emanating heat.

Tossing and turning his head was inevitable as he was at a loss on how to handle the mind-numbing pleasure mixed with desire that threatened to explode.

Ivan finally reached his climax and he came inside Yao where his spasms radiated through Yao's body. As he was nearly dispensed, Yao came after him. Ivan collapsed atop Yao's figure and their white seed mixed together as it was smeared over their skins.

Muscles slowly eased into relaxation as the tension left their bodies. Yao turned his head to the side, his eyes still shut as he listened to the soft panting of breaths.

A familiar heat lingered over his neck as the taller man nuzzled him affectionately before lying down next to him and pulling him close.

Now that the haze of lust was dispersing, Yao realized how tired he was. Even the panic signals his brain was sending out to him were fading...

_/This is a disaster/_ he berated himself inwardly as he sighed in an attempt to disguise a distressed whimper. _/what have you done?!/_

Soon his body shut down and he fell into a deep sleep with Ivans arms wrapped around his middle, making sure the distance between them was at the minimum.

* * *

"12:53 AM"

Yao blinked, his previously blurry eyes had been brought to focus minutes ago, but his mind was only starting to emerge from the dark.

Outside the glass door adjacent the bed, the sky was bright and blue. It didnt look like it was already past lunch at all. Probably the only other thing that indicated that he was in bed for too long was the heat trapped in his head, and the terrible tossing and squirming in his stomach. This would probably be the worse case of hang over he's had so far.

When he sat up, he noticed a slip of paper pinned under the clock on the bedside table. It was Ivans handwriting

_/Wait for me./_ The paper read.

Yao stared at it for a few seconds before he was distracted by a beeping sound from a pile on the corner of the room.

Slung over a beautifully-designed wooden chair were his clothes, while his wristwatch and his cell phone were on the seat.

5 missed calls from Yong-Soo and 10 text messages (which were all basically variations of "Aniki, are you all right? Where are you? Why aren't you answering?") was enough to send him cursing and running for the shower.

In half an hour he was clothed and ready to leave the apartment. Never mind that his backside was sore, that he had a terrible headache and that he had no idea where he was. He had to get home to his family A.S.A.P.!

Managing to get a seat on the bus and having around an hour of travel before he got to the bus stop closest to his neighborhood, Yao's mind took this opportunity to terrorize him with thoughts about consequences of last night.

He had messed up big time by sleeping with the boss and as much as he kept on reassuring himself that it was a perfectly normal thing for adults in this society to have one-night-stands every now and then, his conscience wouldn't accept it and he ended up burying his face in his hands; resisting the urge to whimper and cry.

"'Wait for me' he says..." Yao remembered, "After what he did, does he expect me to just lay around in his pad and wait for him to return?!" He wanted to blame it all on Ivan but he knew that wasn't true. He was a responsible adult male (which made things worse) and what happened was perfectly consensual. "Okay fine. After what WE did?!" he admitted to himself contemptuously.

What will he do if his siblings ever find out that he did something so indecent and so against their family's morals? Will they ever respect him as an elder-brother anymore? How will he even face his superior at work now after what they did together in bed?

Whether Ivan was drunk or not was not an excuse. Yao was still coherent and he knew he was still capable of thinking straight so he could have easily put a stop to it. Ivan wasn't violent with him, nor was he tied down, drugged or blackmailed. YET he allowed this to happen! He participated and now he had two choices: a.) to face the situation and continue life at the office. Smiling at his boss the next day and saying "We shall never talk about last night again aru. It was purely for pleasure and nothing else." OR b.) to resign and find a new job where he will not have handsome Russians as bosses.

As they neared his stop, he came to a conclusion: he was going to hand in his resignation letter the very next day.

Finding a new job would be tough and frustrating, but it was nothing compared to trying to endure what he had coming if he was going to retain his secretarial position.

He never wanted to be associated with the man named Ivan Braginski again ever and he was determined to forget last night at all costs.

* * *

"We're leaving big brother!!!"

The sound of Mei's voice rang from the doorway as Yao paused from doing the dishes that morning.

Feet shuffling, he hastily made his way to the door so he could assist little Horace and little Mei wear their backpacks as they left for school.

Kiku and Yong Soo were already outside and were already set to leave. He was less fussy when it came to those two since they were the older siblings. They all said their goodbyes to their big brother as they made their way out of the apartment complex to catch the school bus.

It was already a week and a half since he resigned from the company. He hadnt seen Ivan since.

The man rang his cell phone up at practically every other hour on the first two days he disappeared from work. Yao found it increasingly hard to put up with the blinking and the vibrating so he brought it to the phone company on the third day so he could switch his old number for a new one.

He had also stopped checking his e-mail since the last time he looked; he had 5 new messages from Ivan Braginski. All short and all basically had the same content.

_/ Yao, why did you leave without saying anything? Please tell me the reason._

_Why arent you answering your phone? I want to talk to you please, even for just awhile. /_

He was sure his inbox was flooded with similar messages around this point. Which is why he didn't even bother to check anymore.

If he were to be honest, he wanted to talk too, but what was he supposed to say?

He found that Ivan's bright idea of helping Yao 'escape' by making him feel good with sex was effective. In fact it was too damn effective for his own good! Now he had completely forgotten about the girlfriend who ditched him and his mind never stopped lingering towards Ivan and how he couldn't make out if he was angry with him or if he was... missing him.

Even the kids started to notice his strange behavior. That afternoon when he came home after the incident, he gave some lousy excuse about staying overtime because of a deadline and being too tired and sleepy to remember calling the house about his decision to sleep over at a friend's.

It was flimsy but they didn't seem to doubt their old brother.

They didn't fail to catch his awkward slip-ups though; burning food while cooking, leaving the lights open at night, his head seemed to be in the clouds when they were talking to him most of the time, and they noticed that he didn't nag as often as he usually did.

His siblings attributed all of these to his post-break up depression. Except for the one reaction they couldn't explain: how their elder brother would jump and become cranky every time someone mentions anything remotely related to Russia. When something about Russians come on TV, he would snap at them and tell them to change the channel. When Mei talked about a new girl in class who was half-Russian during dinner, he would tell Mei to keep quiet and finish her food before it got cold.

"What's up with aniki?" he had heard Yong-Soo whisper to Kiku the day before, "I didn't know he had some sort of phobia with Russia."

Before he could hear Kiku's response, Yao interjected sharply, "YONG SOO it's your turn to do dishes tonight!! Stop gossiping about me behind my back and start doing your chores aru!!!"

He realized how unreasonable he was being, but he couldn't help it. Days had already gone by without Ivan constantly reminding Yao of his existence, so why couldn't he just enjoy the peace and move on with his life?

In an attempt to lighten up, he reassured himself that his situation was improving.

He had applied for work in another company, but for now he was tending to housework while managing a small shop near the marketplace. Every weekday he worked there from morning after the kids left, and then he would return home an hour or so before they came home.

Contemplating on preparing a special dinner later tonight as an apology for his crabby moods recently, Yao carefully locked the apartment door and placed the key in his bag before he headed for work.

As he exited through the main gate however, he caught sight of a familiar silver car parked in front of the driveway.

He had a feeling he knew who it belonged to

A wave of panic overcame him and he quickly turned his eyes to the drivers seat. To his relief, the vehicle was empty. He reasoned that it may not be the car he thought it was and moved closer to have a look at the plate number to confirm his suspicions when he heard footsteps coming from around the side of the complex's front.

Things happened too fast and he only had a second to register that yes, this was the director's car, before the man himself emerged from the corner.

The tall Russian was wearing his usual business suit; every bit as distinguished and charmingly intimidating as Yao remembered him to be. When his presence was noticed, the tall man halted, took a good look at him and smiled.

The Chinese man was staring at him in disbelief.

He had never told anyone his home address and the only time he ever written down where he lived was when he was filling out an application form after his acceptance into the company. The idiot must have dug his address out of confidential records or something!

"Yao!" Ivan called out.

The ebony-haired Asian was brought back to his senses and his face scrunched up in displeasure when he heard Ivans voice. He pointedly ignored Ivan and turned his back on him as he made his way.

Unfortunately the taller man was having none of that. In a moment, he had covered the short distance between him and Yao. Taking a hold of Yao by the arm, he stopped him from entering the apartment complex and pulled him away. Yao was overpowered as the Russian pushed him none-too-gently against the wall.

"Yao, you can't keep on ignoring me like this!" he reasoned, a bit of impatience making itself apparent through his tone of voice.

Refusing to make eye contact, Yao made half-hearted efforts to squirm free of the Russian's grasp. It only earned him an even tighter restraint as Ivan stubbornly held on.

"We need to talk" He said, his voice softer, "You're not being fair, Yao."

"I've got nothing to say." Yao replied quickly.

It was Ivan's turn to sigh. His hold on Yao loosened a bit but he didn't want to let go for fear that the smaller man would make a run for it.

"Why are you so mad at me anyway?" he finally asked, "I asked you if you wanted to sleep with me. I didn't force you to."

Yao felt his chest tighten. He knew that already.

"I'm not mad at you aru." He turned to look at the ground this time. His eyes fell on both his and Ivans shoes. "But what happened that night was a mistake; MY mistake."

Mustering up all his courage, Yao's eyes shamefully tried to meet Ivan's.

"I'm sorry."

Ivan couldn't believe his ears. He didn't like the way Yao was acting one bit. He was relieved that the younger man held no anger for him, but at the same time he was annoyed that Yao felt like he had to apologize.

"Well I'm not sorry."

That earned him a surprised look from Yao. It was surprise mixed with apprehension.

"I don't know what you think of me Yao, but Im telling you that its not a habit of mine to sleep with random people."

"I can see that aru." Yao replied sarcastically. He wasn't mad before but he was sure getting into the mood now. "I bet this is the reason why people spread rumors about you isn't it? Because you seduce your secretaries to sleep with you and then you harass them, probably for blackmail an--"

"Hold on!" Ivan interrupted, "You know about the rumors?!"

Yao huffed angrily and threw him an acid glare. "So it IS true aru!"

And all this time he hadn't believed what his former co-workers had been warning him about not being too friendly with their sadist boss because he had a psychological instability or behavioral problem of some sort. Maybe this habit of his and his homosexual tendencies were what they had been referring to.

Secretly, there was a small ray of hope in Yao's heart that maybe Ivan had slept with him for a good reason and not just because he was drunk or not just because he liked sleeping with other guys regardless of who it was. That hope was slowly diminishing.

Sighing and letting Yao's arm go, Ivan took out something from his pocket.

Yao watched his companion's motions, thinking that he would threaten Ivan if he was detained any further.

To his surprise, Ivan unfolded his expensive-looking wallet and thrust it in front of Yao's face. In it was a photo of a pretty blonde lady with long hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Remember my cousin, Natalya?" Ivan muttered. Before Yao could spit out an annoyed remark about how that was totally random and unrelated, Ivan continued, "She's the one spreading the rumors about me in the office."

"What...?" Yao was caught off-guard at the statement and he looked confused for a moment. After giving the photo another look, he turned back to the taller man, "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story." Putting the wallet back into his pocket, Ivan looked around nervously before he suggested that maybe they should continue the conversation inside the apartment complex or at least somewhere else less exposed.

* * *

"You saw her visiting the office a few times da?" Ivan asked solemnly as he nursed the cup of steaming tea in his hands.

Yao nodded and resumed his seat in front of the Russian. They had gone in the apartment and they were in the small dining room. It looked like they were both ditching work today... Yao had already called in to apologize, lying and saying he was sick.

"She has this sort of-- obsession with me. She wants us to get married someday but of course, being a distant relative but a relative nonetheless, that won't happen. Not being able to accept that, her mentality became 'if I can't have you, no one will'. So in the workplace and around our social circles, she would go around and tell people these made up stories; these rumors that I've got behavioral problems and that I'm weird."

Yao watched him as he explained meekly. He remembered how he DID detect strange vibes from that woman and how she was usually cold to others but was extra clingy and affectionate towards Ivan. He shivered, imagining what it was like to have such a creepy admirer.

"Ever since I first met you," Ivan continued, "I sort of liked you Yao. But I couldn't be too obvious because I knew Natalya would suspect. And well... you had a girlfriend. I tried to ignore what I was feeling..." he paused, sighing, "When I found out that you had broken up with your girlfriend, I wanted to comfort you. But then I didn't know how to go about that and if I should start something with you too soon after your heartbreak. So I went to my favorite bar to drink and think it over when to my surprise, you were there too."

Taking all the information in, Yao didn't know how he was supposed to feel. Finally he had his assurance that what they had that night was something more than it seemed, but he wasn't sure how he was going to handle all this. He was hoping for it, but he never really anticipated it.

"I probably shouldn't have kidnapped you that night though. But I really wanted to show you how I felt that night..." he admitted guiltily. "I don't think I've ever liked anyone this much before."

Yao let out a dry laugh, "I'm not a helpless girl you know. I went with you on my own accord. I could have kung-fu-ed your ass if I really wanted aru!" he said, purposely ignoring Ivan's last statement.

"But you didn't. Which means..." Ivan smiled eagerly, his mood rising.

It was Yao's turn to sink back into a gloomy state. He shook his head tearing his eyes away from Ivan's expression, "No. It won't work out. Whatever your thinking, it won't work out."

This was the reason he thought just leaving Ivan was the wisest decision before.

Ivan was a man, he was a man. They were adults and he had a whole family to feed and take care of, he didn't have time to go on dangerous love affairs with important foreigners. Besides, Ivan had a stalker-psychopath cousin who would probably send him death threats if they ever got together.

"If you're worrying about Natalya, don't. She's crazy but I'm sure if I explain to her properly, she'd get over it sooner or later." Ivan supplied. "I'll make her."

"It's not just her aru." Yao quickly replied. "What I do doesn't just involve me, it involves my whole family. I can't be selfish about this."

Ivan looked at him sincerely, and then he glanced around the house. Everywhere there were signs of youth and children; small clothes, toys, coloring books, little shoes...

He smiled at the thought of Yao single-handedly being able to do good in work and in 'parenting' at the same time. Yao wasn't only a beautiful person on the outside, he was on the inside too. Somehow realizing this completely, Ivan felt himself falling even more.

"I want to meet them; your little brothers and sisters."

That caught Yao's attention. "What?!" He turned to look at Ivan, shock and disbelief evident in his voice. "You can't just--! That's not reasonable!!!"

"Ehh, why not?" Ivan asked sadly, trying to look pitiful to get to Yao's sympathy.

"In the first place what are you going to tell them aru?! Have you even thought of that!"

"I'll tell them that I'm a good friend of their brother. Then when they know me better and accept me, that's the time I'll tell them that I love their brother and then ask if I could have him." he said without losing a beat.

"NOT HAPPENING ARU!!!" Yao slammed his hands down on the table, his face red with both anger and embarrassment.

"But I won't give up so easily!" Ivan appealed, "This is the reason she left you right? Because you were too busy."

Yao had to stop for a moment and remember who he was talking about. His eyes twitched when he understood who he was referring to.

"Well I want to meet your siblings because they're a part of your life and I want to know more about you. As much as I can." he said sincerely, "Yao has a good heart so I'm sure his family is kind too."

Ivan could see the resistance fading from Yao's demeanor. He looked like his defenses were crumbling and that he was going to resign soon. He genuinely wanted to give what they had a try and he believed his sincerity would get through.

After much perseverance, he finally got Yao to allow him to stay and have dinner with the family that night.

* * *

Dinner time turned out to be extremely awkward-- but mostly only for Yao.

When the kids came home and saw the big, intimidating foreigner open the door for them, they had been surprised and a bit scared, but after the initial formalities were over, they actually warmed up to him pretty easily. Soon they were all laughing at the dinner table and Ivan was asking them all how their day in school went. Yao was impressed to find that Ivan was actually good with children.

He coughed once and glanced sideways only to catch Ivan smiling pleasantly as he helped scooped rice into Mei's bowl.

Feeling like a person looking in from the outside, Yao thought that the scene before him was the most beautiful he's seen in a long time. It reminded him of the time their parents were still alive and he didn't have to worry so much about every single thing on his own.

Ivan was a natural... he would probably make a great father. If he was with them, maybe they would feel complete again... If only that were possible.

Feeling his eyes watering, Yao excused himself in the premise of going into the kitchen to refill the teapot.

Once he was in the kitchen and out of view, Yao sniffed and wiped the sides of his eyes as he leaned in front of the sink. He was really getting too sentimental these days...

"Yao... you okay?"

Ivan's voice made him jump and he quickly straightened up. "I'm fine! No need to follow me aru!" he whispered sharply, gesturing for Ivan to return to the table as he made for the stove where he placed the teapot.

He had his back turned to Ivan so he didn't see the tall man approach him. All he felt was his warmth touch him from behind and his arms snake around his middle.

Yao froze. He restrained himself from yelling and employing violence in fear that the kids might notice. /_ How dare he attempt to grope me in my own home?! /_ Yao's eye winced as his temper rose.

His anger quickly melted away as Ivan held him closer and didn't do anything more than just embrace him from the back. A warm, innocent embrace; the kind you would probably give your mom as a sign of gratitude...

"Ivan, what are you doing?" Yao asked quietly but urgently.

"You don't have to pretend to be so strong on your own you know." Ivan said softly in a low voice. "I'm telling you, you can depend on me from now on."

The Asian man held his breath as he was at a loss on how to reply.

"I want to be a part of your family Yao."

Yao figured that statement was enough of a reason to allow Ivan to kiss him on the lips. A gentle, soft connection that merely served as a reassuring gesture. It was quick and soon Yao squirmed away from Ivan's hold and suggested that they come back before the kids get suspicious.

Unbeknownst to both of them, four pairs of eyes were peaking around the corner of the hallway, witnesses to their little show of affection.

"I told you he was aniki's boyfriend." Horace whispered as he crouched beneath his taller brother, You owe me your allowance for the entire week.

"But he's-- but anikis!" Yong Soo faltered, "I cant believe it da ze!"

They all quietly snuck back to the table and Kiku frowned at them for not listening to him when he told them that they shouldn't eavesdrop and that they shouldn't bet either. Horace ignored him as he mentally computed how much money he was going to end up with by the weekend and Yong Soo struggled to assimilate both the loss of his lunch money and their brother's new boyfriend. Mei was just happily munching on her food, probably the only one unaware and too young to comprehend what was going on. A few moments later, the two adults emerged and they were all great actors, each side pretending that nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

And probably nothing really did.

After Ivan bid them goodbye in his shiny car, Yao helped the kids get ready for bed and file into their respective rooms. Yong and Kiku shared a room while Horace, Mei and him all shared the bigger bedroom. As he tucked in the youngest and kissed her forehead goodnight last, he found himself thinking that he wasn't entirely sure how things would work out from now that Ivan persistently came into the picture, but he was finally willing to give it a chance.

* * *

**END.** _[05-02-2010]_

_This changed immensely from its original state. To anyone who read the old version and liked that one better, I'm sorry but I couldn't help changing it during finalization! OTL. Still, thank you for reading this!_


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